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Grantsville Song Cycle

What makes one small town in a mountain desert valley special? Local musicians bring the sights, sounds, oral and written history alive in their original songs, painting musical pictures of Grantsville, one of Utah's oldest pioneer towns.

ABOUT THIS ALBUM

Album Notes

Grantsville, Utah lies in a valley at the southern tip of the Great Salt Lake, between tall, parallel mountain ranges with majestic snow-capped peaks. The panorama exudes an ever-changing palate of colors in its radiant desert sunrises and sunsets, brilliant blue skies, bright green springs, golden autumns, white winters and dark nights, contrasting with the slow changes in the town itself and its cherished, unwavering traditions.

Known earlier as Willow Creek and Twenty Wells, the area was once a stop for wandering Goshute tribes, mountain men explorers, the fateful Donner Reed Party, and then settled by Mormon pioneers in 1850. In 1913, the original route of the Lincoln Highway passed through town, the last stop before heading across the West Desert. Farming, salt industry and local schools employ many of those who work close to home, but a large portion of the town’s nearly 9,000 residents commute to jobs in the Salt Lake Valley.

Each spring for more than 130 years, townspeople gather from all over the country to celebrate the Grantsville Old Folks’ Sociable, a heritage tradition once held in an elaborate, beloved opera house, but now held in the high school, fully transformed for the Sociable with town relics and décor. After a three course dinner served by high school students, the Sociable variety show program features local musical talent that surprises outsiders with its quality and originality.

In January 2014, the community was invited to share that talent in composing the “Grantsville Song Cycle.” A “song cycle” is a collection of individual songs that are performed as a unit to tell a story, and in this case, the story of Grantsville. Volunteer songwriters—some experienced and some novices—interviewed people from the community, researched history and thought about what it means to live in Grantsville. For over a year, they gathered weekly to share, give feedback and rehearse the songs, putting their hearts and their time into this project to tell the story of Grantsville, Utah in a unique way. In the introductions for each song, read how the songwriters came up with the lyrics and what inspired them to write about it.

As you listen to this album, may you reflect on the people, places and history all around you, wherever you live. Grantsville is a “pretty little town,” and we hope you have the privilege to experience it.~Friends of Clark Historic Farm

(NOTE: The physical CD comes with a 20-page booklet full stories, background information, songwriters' commentaries and lyrics. To purchase the CD or learn more about the Grantsville Song Cycle or the Clark Historic Farm website. Like us on Facebook, "Grantsville Song Cycle.")